


Sanctuary

by CodeBreaker



Series: Dark Side of the Moon [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, At least this'll lead up to that, Childhood Friends, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, OT4, Polyamory, also some of this is just super self indulgent on my part, i have a plan I swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2020-03-05 19:30:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18835258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CodeBreaker/pseuds/CodeBreaker
Summary: They thought they were done. It was supposed to be over. They were supposed to have gone on with their lives with all this behind them.But some things aren't meant to be left behind. Some things just like to keep coming back.





	1. LIGHTSWORN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judai's first day at Duel Academy is eventful as he gets to spectate the first student duel of the year, between the school's top two students. 
> 
> Or, in which Judai gets to see just who the toughest duelists at school are.

Judai was late.

He hadn't meant to be that late, hadn't meant to sleep through his alarm. Twice. Didn't anticipate running into Yugi that morning. Or he was pretty sure that was Yugi, anyway. Most of all, he hadn't anticipated having to duel one of the professors because of his tardiness. But now that he's passed the entrance exam and settled down into his dorm, he's about ready to take on the first day.

Or orientation day actually, and of course, he woke up late. Again. 

"Judai. ANIKI!" Sho yelled, shaking Judai in an attempt to wake him up, "Come on, we have to get to the arena! There's gonna be a showcase duel and we're gonna miss it!" 

Upon hearing that, he shot up out of bed, now wide awake. 

"A what now? A duel? What, why didn't you wake me up earlier then, Sho!?" Sho groaned as Judai shot out of bed, and sprinted out, completely ignoring Sho as he exclaimed that he had been trying to for the past 10 minutes. "Come on Sho, we can't miss this!"

Sho yelled after Judai to wait up, sprinting out of the dorms after him, and toward the main building. The pair raced toward the arena, just as the pair of duelists stepped up to start. Both panting from the effort it took to make it, they made their way to the stands, finding seats next to Asuka, Hayato, and Misawa. Asuka waved as they sat down, meanwhile, Misawa gave them a nod of acknowledgment but didn't turn to look at them.

"Hey, took you guys long enough, was starting to worry that you'd miss this," Hayato said as they sat down next to him.

"Yeah, I was wondering when you two would get here." Misawa remarked from his seat next to Asuka, both of them seated in front of the trio, "You've just made it in time for the duel."

"Yeah, we almost didn't because SOMEONE wouldn't wake up." Sho quipped, glaring pointedly at Judai.

"Hey, I'm still growing, gotta get my sleep in, right? Anyway, who's dueling?" Judai asked, leaning forward to try and get a better look at the two duelists. They stood at the center, shuffling each other's decks, but they seemed more occupied by whatever conversation they were having than the duel they were supposed to be having.

"Ryo and Saiya, they're third-year Obelisk students and the best at the academy," Asuke explained.

"Ryo also happens to be my older brother," Sho adds, though he didn't seem all too excited to mention the fact.

"Oh yeah? That's awesome! He must be good then. What about her?" Judai gazes at the girl. Physically, she was fairly pretty, from what he can see of her from this distance. Shoulder length black hair and it might've been the angle, but she seemed to only come up to Ryo's shoulders height-wise. 

"She's Saiya, like Asuka said. She's been friends with Ryo for as long as I can remember," Sho remarked "She's super nice. She's a really good duelist too, from what I remember."

"Huh." Judai couldn't get any other comments in before the duel officially starts.

"Should mention that apparently the two have a bit of a competition, but from what I've heard, we could hardly call it that. These two have only ever lost to each other." Asuka remarked, just as they draw their first hands.

"Really?" Judai gawked but didn't get much further than that before getting elbowed in the ribs by Sho.

"Shut up, they're starting."

The duel was close for the first several turns, and at its climax, Ryo had been able to summon Cyber End Dragon. But Saiya, using a Lightsworn deck (her favourite deck to use, Sho had commented), had been able to stop Ryo from attacking her directly using Sakuretsu Armor. That move not only stopped his attack, it also destroyed Cyber End. Now that it was her turn, she seemed to be gearing up for a duel ending play.

"And since I have 4 or more different Lightsworns in my graveyard, I get to special summon Judgement Dragon from my hand. And by sacrificing a thousand of my lifepoints, every card on the field is then destroyed. But because Realm of Light has five shine counters, I can remove two of them and it stays on the field." By this point, everyone watching was on the edge of their seat, but the winner's already been decided.

"That's impressive, not only did she summon the most powerful monster she has in her deck, she destroyed every card on the field aside from her field spell. Ryo doesn't have anything to defend himself, and she can still summon another monster since Judgement Dragon was a special summon." Misawa iterated this as soon as it all happened.

"Awesome!" Judai was nearly jumping out of his seat now, as she continued with her turn.

"You're not done yet, are you?" Ryo knew though, she wasn't. This was her favourite combo to use, after all.

"Me? Done? Nah, not yet. I'm gonna use Double Summon, which if it wasn't obvious, allows me to normal summon twice this turn. So I'm gonna start with Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn but he's not sticking around very long. I'm sending him to the graveyard to summon Celestia, Lightsworn Angel." 

"Whoa! Two powerful monsters in one turn! Celestia gets a 300 point boost from Realm of Light too!" Sho marveled, getting almost as excited as Judai.

"One last thing, I'm gonna equip Lightsworn Sabre to Celestia, giving her a 700 point boost. That's two monsters now with 3000 or more attack points." Up until this point, neither duelist had been able to touch the other's lifepoints but that was about to change, "Let's start with Judgement Dragon with a direct attack! Heaven's Verdict!"

Ryo's lifepoints dropped by 3000, leaving him at 1000.

"She's gonna win this in one turn, wow!" To say Jaden was jumping up and down in excitement now would be understating it, he was like a little kid in a toy store.

"Time to finish it. Celestia! Divine Intervention!" With that, the duel ends with Saiya as the winner. She seemed to dance around a little before running up to Ryo, animatedly saying something to him. No one had been able to hear over the loud crowd. Judai, now unable to sit still, quickly suggested they go meet the two as he ran down to do so. Sho was quick to follow but not before making sure the others were coming with. By the time they all caught up to Judai, he had already made his way over to the pair. While Ryo regarded him silently, Saiya seemed to be matching him in his energy, being almost as animated. 

It was when everyone realized that these two were gonna be fast friends, they all knew that this was gonna be a long year.

At least it won't be boring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, so hi. This is my first fic on here. And yes, I'm writing for GX, surprise, whattaya know.  
> Listen, in my defense, I'm down a lane and I gotta.
> 
> Ok, a few things:  
> 1) I'm rusty, I haven't properly written anything like this in a long time. So this won't be the best, and constructive criticism IS very much accepted and appreciated.  
> 2) I MIGHT do a character profile in a separate work if anyone wants me to.  
> 3) I WAS gonna make this post-canon but since I have an oc, I figured it'd be better to start from the beginning for character building/development and everything.
> 
> Uh yeah, thanks for giving this a chance. I hope you all have a good day and I'll see you all again next update!


	2. VENDREAD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going pro takes a lot of work, kids.
> 
> But nothing in life worth having ever comes easy.

The rest of the year was eventful, to say the least.

Saiya would be there, watching the duel between Manjome and Judai, which ended abruptly when they heard campus security approaching. She later accompanied Judai, Sho, and Hayato to the abandoned dorms, panicked a little as Judai had a shadow duel. After that ordeal, she went to watch the duel between Judai and Ryo on the beach, noting that Ryo had already won the duel before it started. She had praised Judai though, she saw that he was a good duelist and she was sure he could only get better. She would then go and watch Judai and Sho duel the Paradox brothers. She had told Ryo and Asuka that she already knew that Sho and Judai are gonna win because her instincts told her so and her instincts were usually right.

They went up against the Shadow Riders, and even though Saiya herself would not duel any of them. She, instead, would watch each and every one of them. There was no doubt in her mind that they would come out of that on top.

To end off the year with anything less than a legendary match would be a major disappointment. The graduation match between Ryo and Judai was something to behold. After Judai found his stride, it was one breath-stopping play after another. However, the loud cheers after the duel ended in a draw couldn't come anywhere close to what Ryo and Saiya would come to experience in the few months. They shared a waiting room for this particular tournament, the biggest one they've entered since entering the Pro Circuit. All eyes were on this next match, both of them had entered through different brackets, and by chance, Edo Pheonix was in a bracket separate to theirs. 

And it felt like the entire world was watching this next match. The match was between Ryo and Edo and whoever won this match would go on to duel Saiya. 

"Are you nervous?" She had asked him, watching him shuffle through his deck. "Because you're starting to make _me_ nervous."

He cracked a smile at her but he didn't look up at her, eyes fixed on the space in front of him. 

"No. I'm not." She wanted to laugh, but she didn't. She wasn't lying when she said he was making her nervous. Something about the energy in the room put her on edge.

"Yes, you are." She paused, watching him shift his gaze up to meet her eyes. "You're also a terrible liar, by the way."

He rolled his eyes, scoffing as he leaned back into the couch. The look he gave her was one she'd seen plenty of times, his eyes dark in the fluorescent lights. She stared, their eye contact intense, all the while she tried to piece together anything to say to him. Distracted was the best word to describe her thought process; staring into his eyes, she could only equate this to watching storm clouds roll in, Saiya could only wait for the flash of lightning, for the roll of thunder. She blinked a few times, stretching as she leaned back; a desperate attempt to reign her thoughts back in from the train wreck she found them in, and she could only hope he didn't pick up on it. But she knew he did, he always did.

"Ease up a little. I know Edo said he's using a new deck from here, but it's nothing you can't handle, right?" She started, knowing full well this was not actually what she had in mind but she kept going anyway. "Seems like making a point to never use the same deck twice in a row in our duels together paid off, yeah?"

He took a deep breath before nodding. There was a brief moment of silence, and in that silence, she could see the gears working behind his eyes. He wanted to say something but a knock at the door interrupted them. It was time to go. Their eyes met, and in the instant their eyes locked, he looked more confident than he had been the entire time they'd been sitting there.

"Good luck." She watched him as he made his way towards the door. He stopped before throwing a remark over his shoulder. Saiya didn't need to see his face to know he was smirking.

"I won't need it." 

And with that, she was suddenly alone.

* * *

Of course, neither of them were actually all too surprised when Ryo lost. Saiya didn't say this out loud (why would she? She thought of herself as a better friend than that). 

It was her turn, now. She stared at the table in front of her, several decks laid out. The first biggest tournament in their career and people are already whispering about her. Her point of never using the same deck twice in a row had carried over from her little competition with Ryo. Her attention had been so focused on the five decks she had laid out in front of her, she nearly jumped six feet in the air when the door swung open. Saiya didn't need to look up to know the Kaiser himself had walked in, and she definitely did not need to look to know that he didn't look happy. 

She wouldn't either, knowing what just happened.

His presence from the other side of the table was noted, as was the silence they shared. Too many silent moments passed before either of them finally said something.

"Are you gonna stare at those until your match?" He sounded as pissed as she thought he would be. Saiya didn't look at him, she didn't need to.

"Still trying to decide. They're all fighting, it's funny." She responded, her tone slightly clipped. She, much like Judai, was able to see and hear duel monster spirits. Her own cards were always the loudest, though she can feel the frustration flooding from Ryo's deck right now. Saiya finally glanced up at him, caught him staring at her though she couldn't be sure if he was actually staring at her or if he was staring past her. When she spoke up again, her voice was much quieter, her tone much softer. "Are you alright?"

In all the time she knew him, Saiya couldn't quite remember the last time he wore this expression. In fact, she had a hard time pinpointing just what she saw as she watched him. There was an anger that came off of him in waves, but there was this look in his eyes; a sort of lost look. A sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back into the couch, head tilted upwards. Staring at the speckled ceiling, she struggled to form the right words to say to him.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, alright? We both knew that Edo's a tough opponent, and he was using a new deck, no less. He's been doing this forever." She almost flinched under his glare. Almost. She knew that glare wasn't really for her. His glare was scary though, enough to make most people wither. Something must have shown on her face because his expression softened if only just a little. "Would it make you feel better if I beat him?"

Ryo snorted, finally cracking a smile. It didn't reach his eyes but he looked amused enough. She took it.

"Your confidence is admirable." He got a grin in response.

"Having enough confidence is half the battle, my dear Kaiser. The other half is actually doing the damn thing." A knock at the door yet again interrupted their conversation, but she didn't mind. They shared a look before glancing down at the decks laid out on the table. Five minutes, the person at the door had called to them. "Five minutes to decide which deck I'm using."

"How confident are you?" 

Four minutes.

"Not nearly enough to win."

They locked eyes again, and she could only hope he caught the mischievous glint she had in hers.

"Well, if you think you aren't gonna win, you might as well put on a show."

Three minutes. She grabbed a deck off the table at random, the grin she threw at him was something playful. 

"It's always a show when I'm in the spotlight."

Two minutes before she had to be at the stand. Striding towards the door with a great deal of confidence, she caught Ryo wish her good luck as she swung open the door. A pause. She spun on her heel and made her way back to him.

"How 'bout instead of just wishing me good luck," She stopped right in front of him, leaning over. Their faces now close enough that their noses could almost touch. "-how about you give me a kiss for good luck?"

The look of surprise was enough of a reaction to elicit giggles from her. Regardless of his shock, his expression melted from one of surprise to one of confidence, the kind she knew so well.

One more minute.

They kissed.

* * *

The lights dimmed, the smoke from the fog machine billowed around her feet as she made her way up to the arena. The first biggest tournament of her career and the crowds already whispered several nicknames for her. 'Lady Athena' was one that came up frequently, and she took it. If everyone thought she was some kind of genius, she'll take it and run with it. 'The Unpredictable' was another that came up lots over the course of this tournament, 'Lady Chaos' was a rare one that she personally adored.

But that wasn't the point here.

Edo and Saiya met in the middle of the arena, the spotlight now on them as they switched decks. The way he eyed her was not missed. 

"Hopefully," He started, his voice steady and full of confidence. Just as she'd imagined. "you'll be more of a challenge than your friend."

They finished shuffling, and as they handed their decks back to the other, she threw him a grin. The mischievous sparkle in her eyes returned, the tone of her voice matched it. She didn't miss the split second of confusion on his face.

"If it's a challenge you want, it's a challenge you will get." With an amused laugh, she spun on her heel and made her way to her side, carrying with her all the confidence in the world. 

"Whatever." Once they got to their places, she announced that she was going second. There was no arguing against it. Edo had set up his first turn much like he did during his duel with Ryo. 

"I end my turn. Go, I'm expecting to be impressed." As dramatically as she could without being overly theatrical about it, she drew a card. Nobody could miss the smirk that graced her features. Looking at her hand, she was more than satisfied with the plays she could make. Saiya was almost sure this wasn't going to be duel winning but at the very least, she'd make it as entertaining as possible.

"Just so you know, if you win this duel, it'll only be because I purposefully threw the duel." She had declared with all the confidence in the world. This got the crowd going. "How about we start with a ritual?"

Once Vendread Origin was played, Vendread Revenants, Vendread Houndhorde, along with Vendread Core. 

"Are you ready for this? Now that those three monsters are in my graveyard, I can ritual summon Revendread Executioner. However, he takes on the mantle of Revendread Slayer while out on the field." The fiendish monster flew up from the card, a deep chuckling as he finally got the spotlight. "I'm gonna play Vendread Nightmares, while I'm at it."

 _'So you finally let us out of the cage, huh?'_ Executioner's voice was a deep rumble, it echoed and bounced throughout the arena. However, it seemed like only she can hear him. The smirk she gave him was more than enough for an answer.

"Now, with Vendread Nightmare in play, every time one of my Vendread monster destroys your monster in battle, that Vendread monster gains 1000 attack points. I could also tribute a monster to increase the level of a monster I control, but that isn't important right now." 

After this, the duel was close. Nearing the end, the two were about 500 life points apart. Edo had managed to summon Pheonix Enforcer. Saiya had quickly noted he was using the exact same deck he used against Ryo, but something in her gut told her said this wasn't his main deck. On her side of the field, she had summoned Executioner back from the graveyard, as it had been destroyed earlier on in the duel. By his side was Revendread Slayer, ritual summoned the turn previous. Neither of them had any remaining spell or trap cards.

She could win. Well, she _could_ if it were her turn. 

He played a facedown, then ended his turn. There was a silence that filled the air after he did, but the silence came with an unspoken challenge. One she would gladly accept. She wasn't sure she could win, actually.

But she had promised a show, so that's exactly what she planned on doing. Or at least, she'd try to anyway.

"It's too bad I can't be flashy with this deck. I guess summoning Executioner on my first turn was a little flashy. . . " she trailed off, but the confident expression she wore told a different story. The card she drew would be more than enough to win the duel. "I'm gonna summon Vendread Revenants in attack position, and set two cards facedown. Your go."

Revenants, her third and final copy in this deck, had been in her hand for about two or three turns now. She didn't miss the perplexed look Edo threw her, she was sure the cameras missed it though. Her two facedowns was the only thing she could ride on now, so if this failed, she'd lose the duel. But Saiya didn't particularly care if she lost this duel specifically. In her eyes, the exposure was enough, this particular win didn't matter nearly as much.

He took it. After summoning Shining Pheonix Enforcer, he attacked Slayer. She grinned, flipping over Enemy Controller. He countered with Magic Jammer, she countered that with Counter Counter. And that was game, she tributed Revenants to take control of Shining Pheonix Enforcer. That would not last, however, he regained control at the end of his turn but not before placing a facedown card. It was the only thing that worried her but she wasn't about to sit around and do nothing.

"If you're gonna end this, make it quick. I'm getting tired of that confident look you got going on right now." She laughed as she drew a card. He didn't have any face downs. Her only obstacle right now was the 1500 extra attack points Shining Pheonix Enforcer had. But it was fine, the card she just drew was more than enough to help her. 

"I'm equipping United We Stand to Exectioner, giving him an extra 800 attack and defense points for every monster on my side of the field. I count three, so that adds up to about 2400 extra points." The crowd was deafening, and she loved every second of it. "That facedown is probably gonna screw up my game, isn't it? You're good, Edo. I'm about to walk right into your trap, aren't I?"

He smirked, annoyingly so. But she matched it, and if she were anyone else, she might have been annoyed. She was enjoying this far too much to be annoyed. Saiya knew full well she was about to walk right into his trap with her attack, but she didn't mind.

"You tell me, are you about to walk into my trap?"

Seconds passed. 

"Executioner, end it."

The duel ended, but it didn't end in her victory. That facedown was, in fact, Magical Cylinders. Executioners attack was redirected right back at them. But she took the loss in stride as they met in the middle again.

"Remember when I said that if you won, it would only be because I purposefully threw the duel? I definitely threw the duel so don't think you can get too confident about this win." They shared a look, one that promised a rematch.

"Sure, you keep tellin' yourself that." The way he said that told her more than enough, he had just as much fun as she did. 

"I'm fully expecting a rematch, Edo Pheonix." 

No one heard them over the roar of the crowd but they did not mind. Not one bit.

"Saiya Akatsuya, I would be more than happy to have a rematch with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major time skip here because apparently, I cannot be bothered enough to write through the whole first season. Believe me, season 2 is a lot more interesting for Saiya
> 
> Also, psa, I started a lil au fic alongside this which I picked up muse for while trying to figure this mess out.  
> This leads to my next point, I've decided to switch over to their Japanese names so bear with me as I switch them out in editing. I'll miss a couple the first go around. If I have missed a few, just know I'll notice during my read through and I'll change it eventually.  
> NOTES:  
> 1) the deck Saiya uses this duel is a Vendread deck, an archetype specific to Duel Links.  
> 2) Uh, yeah. The kiss. Whoops? Heh-


	3. DESTINY HERO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _If this was fate . . ._

The last thing Saiya had expected was for the headmaster to ask her to come back to Duel Academy. Minutes after stepping onto the island, she instantly recognized at least one of the two voices she heard. A quiet laugh found its way out of her lips as she approached the quartet, camped in front of the Slifer dorm. At least two of them were new to her, and one of the new faces was arguing with Sho.

It took a total of thirty seconds for one of them to notice her spectating the argument.

"Saiya! Tell Kenzan that _I'm_ Judai's best friend!" Sho cried, nearly toppling them both over as he tackled her with a hug. She laughed, wrapping her arms around the shorter boy.

"Well, first of all, we haven't been properly introduced, I'd rather not pick a fight with someone I just met about a minute ago." She made absolutely no move to push Sho off of her, "Second of all, I just got here. I have no energy to be picking sides for anything right now."

"Tyranno Kenzan. Now you've been introduced! Take my side!" Sho whined as he backed up. He gave her that puppy look, knowing there was a good chance it would actually work. She gave him a look of disbelief, silently asking if he really heard a word she just said.

"Actually, I have a question, and no offense cuz I missed you and all, but why are you back?" Judai asked, interrupting Sho as he pouted at the other boy. Saiya hummed, rocking on her feet a little. 

"Well, principal Samejima actually asked me to come back. He said something about assisting with stuff, he wasn't really all too specific on the details." Glancing past the two boys, she took note of the fourth member of their little quartet, wearing a yellow jacket. A Ra, much quieter than the other three boys he had chosen to hang out with. 

"And you are-?" A nod towards him snapped his attention towards her, his eyes wide. Behind him, she caught a figure, a flash of white and gold. A very familiar figure.

"Uh, Kohaku. Ra yellow." He stopped before stammering nervously "B-but I'm sure you know that already."

"And I take it you have a fairy based deck, judging by Airknight Parshath hanging out behind you." The boys went silent as she said this. All four stared at her, wide-eyed and very confused. Saiya, on the other hand, was very amused, she enjoyed the confusion she could induce in the boys.

"Wha-, yeah. I do. But you can-?" Kohaku started, glancing over his shoulder. Judging by his expression, only she could see the fairy type monster staring back at her. 

"Wait, wait. You can-?" Judai interrupted but she promptly cut him off, knowing what he was about to ask her. 

"Yes. I can see duel spirits, like Kuriboh floating behind your head right now, thinking I can't see him." This made him spin around, nearly swatting the little fluffball out of the air. "And before you ask, because I know one of you will, I've been able to since I was about ten. Why is that so surprising? It's not like I'm the only one anyway."

That statement was met with equal parts confusion and loud noises, namely in the form of questions. The boys had continued to grill her for a while, though they didn't get many useful answers out of the girl. The conversation (re: interrogation) was cut short when Fubuki caught her in a back hug, putting on his usual theatrics as he greeted her.

"You're back and _I_ was not the first person to greet you?" He moved to her side, though his arm remained around her shoulders. His smile and his energy were infectious because she found herself easily grinning at his usual antics. "It appears I've failed my job."

"Your . . . job? What would that be exactly?" There was no mistaking the confused look she threw his way, as well as the elbow in his ribs. It certainly did not stop him though, it never did.

"Yes, being your best friend. Obviously. Keep up." 

This interaction did not last long. Sho, being ever so frustrated and the pout still going, suddenly perked up as if he remembered something. He all but jumped his way in front of her, nearly frantic as he waved his arms around. It was almost comical the way he looked right now. Saiya struggled to hold in laughter as she watched the boy.

"Saiya! How much have you talked to my brother since the last tournament? Is he doing alright?" The sudden barrage of questions threw her off guard a little. After composing herself, the look she gave them must've looked bad because Sho suddenly looked so concerned, it almost hurt. It wouldn't surprise her if he started crying right there.

"We still talk, of course. C'mon, Sho, who do you take us for?" Just behind Sho, Judai made some off-hand comment about the two of them being inseparable. "Well, we did talk a lot more before I took off to come back here, anyw-"

Saiya cut herself off before suddenly taking out her phone, looking a little panicked as if she had just remembered something.

"That reminds me, Ryo told me to message him when I got here." There were a few comments on the reception, but she ignored them all as she rapidly typed something out. How she managed to message him out here remains a mystery to them all. The next few hours were spent with the boys all quick-firing questions at her, all ranging from what dueling pro was like to her ability to communicate with duel spirits. 

"How does it work?" They all listened intently, waiting for her answer. She quietly deliberated on how to answer that question, though the answer wasn't actually all too complicated.

"I dunno _how_ it works. It just _does_. Besides-" She threw an accusatory glance over at Judai, and he only returned a sheepish grin "you're one to talk, Judai. You can do it, too"

"Yeah, but I was hoping you had some answers to a lot of unanswered questions." 

The conversation from there took a few turns before Judai brought up the topic of dueling Edo. He had been at the academy before the tournament and dueled him on the beach. He then commented on the challenge that was issued by the other Hero duelist after the big tournament. Upon hearing this, she was already exhausted. Something about having to deal with the number one ranking duelist right now drained her.

Unfortunately, that time would come sooner than she'd like.

* * *

It was that night, just a little bit past midnight.

Which she found odd because why on Earth would you ever decide to arrive at an island in the middle of the ocean then proceed to kick someone's ass just past midnight?

 _'You're one to talk, milady. If I'm correct, you are also up at this ridiculous hour and for what, exactly?'_   Jain had materialized next to her, flanking her as she made her way out the door. Of course, she had mumbled that thought out loud, and of course, responding would only make it seem like she was talking to herself. Not that she really cared at all.

"Ok, listen. I had trouble sleeping and decided to take a walk. Now, Edo, on the other hand, is an entirely different case altogether." She muttered under her breath, knowing that Jain could still hear her regardless. Jain's low chuckle echoed in her ears, then faded as he dissolved in a shower of sparks. A dramatic exit but she expected no less. Her monsters seem to take after her, after all. 

She quietly made her way up behind him, spotting a few others (including Judai and Chronos) come from the other way. 

"Oi, Edo. The fuck is with the dramatic entrance in the middle of the damn night?" There was no hiding the irritation in her voice, which could easily be chalked up to how late it was. That and she did not appreciate someone being more dramatic than her. Being flashy and dramatic was supposed to be _her_ thing. He only threw a smirk over his shoulder, his casual yet very obvious confidence he always carried around was getting on her nerves this late at night. Apparently, she was more irritable this late at night.

"Didn't realize that was the problem. If anything, the problem is this idiot right here and it appears I've resolved said problem." 

There was no doubt he caught her glare, it didn't make her feel much better when he seemed totally unbothered by it. He had met her glare, his gaze even. Under the moonlight, and from this distance, she couldn't help but notice how his eyes seemed to glow silver. Half a second later, his voice snapped her back to reality.

"Close your mouth, you'll catch something." His voice was low as he turned to leave. She was left staring at his back, her glare not once dropping as he disappeared into the night. 

Half asleep, she almost missed the wings of Dogma unfolding. But she was left confused, trying to figure out just what it meant. It was like he was being protective of the duelist who wielded him, anyone else might have interpreted it that way.

But to her, it almost looked like a wave in greeting.

* * *

The presence of both Saiya and Edo at the academy generated a lot of talking in the halls, both during and between classes, and especially so after classes. Despite her best efforts, avoiding him was near impossible. If anything, it felt like he made a point just to always be in her general vicinity.

And of course, finding out that he had intended on dueling Judai later that day didn't make matters any better. In fact, she got tasked with showing him to the duel arena. She didn't need to, however, as he had quickly revealed he already knew where it was. At the moment, she outpaced him but only because she had made a point to try and walk faster than him. Not that it was too difficult, Edo sure knew how to take his time.

"Your little mission of trying to avoiding me appears to be failing, princess." 

She stopped dead in her tracks, which consequently, caused him to walk into her.

"Don't call me that." She hissed, bumping into him again as she spun around to face him.

"Ah. What's with the hostility? Can't tell if you're just irritable today or if I actually did something to piss you off."

Knowing full well this was entirely on her being more irritable than usual, she chose not to respond. Instead, she groaned quietly, turning to continue down the corridor. The halls were mostly empty now, making it much easier to avoid getting crowded. 

A barking laugh drew her attention down to her side. She spotted Ryko, trotting alongside her. The wolf-like beast had a glint in his eyes, and his lips curled into a smile.

' _His confidence outpaces yours, I must admit. I admire him for being able to achieve that feat._ '  Ryko's voice was rough, held an edge to it and yet, the way he spoke to her held none of the biting tones he usually used. ' _He hasn't done anything to warrant your anger, however, pup. Reign in that temper before it burns you, too._ '

She huffed in annoyance, knowing that he was right. Saiya's pride prevented her from admitting that though. Once in the stadium, she picked her way over to the others, finding a seat next to Fubuki. Without any hesitation, he reached over and draped an arm over her shoulders. She made no move to push him off. And Sho wasted no time turning in his seat, still curious about her connection to duel monster spirits.

"So can you, like, have full conversations with them? Ooh, can you pull them out of their cards or something?"

She snorted, listening to him rattle off questions she couldn't fully answer. Ryko had chosen to stick around, finding a spot at her feet despite having little to no room there. It was a good thing he was only a spirit with no solid form. Once Sho finished talking, she leaned forward to respond.

"Yes, we have full conversations. No, I cannot pull them out of their cards, and yes, I can see and converse with everyone else's. Are you satisfied now?"

He hummed, not immediately turning around. That earned a glare, which he immediately understood to mean he should stop pressing. That did not, however, stop him from asking one more question.

"What triggered it?" She narrowed her eyes, slightly in annoyance but mostly in confusion. If there was a trigger to this ability, she sure was not aware of it. 

"I'm not sure. All I can tell you is that I've only been aware of it after Ryo gave me Judgement Dragon."

Fubuki piped up, an easy yet knowing smile had found its way to his face. His arm hadn't moved from its spot around her shoulders.

"Kaiser was the one who gave you your ace monster, huh? Figures."

She remembered it clearly, it was after he had been gone for an extended period of time. Saiya had missed him a lot and spent a lot of that time being ridiculously moody and irritable.

"Yeah, said it was because he had missed my birthday and wanted to make up for it."

' _Hush, the duel's starting._ ' Ryko growled from his spot on the floor. How he knew was beyond her, perhaps it was a connection with the other duel monsters spirits. Or maybe he just had better hearing and a better attention span than they did.

* * *

Saiya couldn't be surprised when Edo won the duel, his win streak remained unbroken. Afterward, she noted how distressed Judai had looked. Unfortunately, he had disappeared before she got the chance to confront him.

"Hey, you guys know where he ran off to?" Asuka asked as she peered into the room, glancing around. 

"Dunno, he ran off a little while ago. You just missed him." Sho gestured towards the door, looking very concerned for his friend. 

 _'What's it with losing to Edo then disappearing?'_ She had wondered. 

"I'm leaving, I have things to do." She announced before darting out of the room. Something about being in there suddenly felt suffocating. This concerned her more than she would allow herself to admit. Ryo hadn't responded to many of her messages since losing to Edo, and the few times he had responded, his replies were kept short and his tone was clipped. She could only hope Judai would come back to them.

And perhaps when he did, this heavy, sinking feeling in her gut would go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dynamic between Saiya and Edo is definitely one of my favourites to write.
> 
> (Also, whoa! Two updates within 24 hours of each other? Wack.)  
> (I am: On A Roll)


	4. ARCHFIEND

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For when sleep eludes you, my dear, you can always reach for my hand

It was difficult to fall asleep that night.

Everything was stressing her out, Judai being missing for the past few days, Ryo not answering any of her recent messages. And on top of all that, Edo would not leave her alone. But tonight, for once in the past week he'd been here, she was grateful for his presence. She couldn't be sure if he just had a really good intuition or if he had intended on knocking on her window at some ungodly hour anyway.

The clock on her bedside table read 2:45 A.M, almost mocking her inability to sleep.

"Do I wanna know why you're knocking on my window at nearly 3 in the damn morning?" She kept her voice to a whisper, turning to gaze at him. He was little more than a shadow now, standing in the corner next to the window. If she hadn't known it was him, she'd have thrown the alarm clock at him by now.

"Dunno, something told me you needed the company." A few quiet chirps, sounding oddly like Rinyan giggling, sounded from her deck. She glanced over at it, sitting next to the clock. Eyes narrowed in suspicion, she turned back to him. 

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep she had been getting, but the shadows around him seemed to warp and move. It took shape behind him. Somehow, it didn't freak her out as much as she figured it should, the form vaguely took the shape of a familiar Hero. It was difficult to make out which one of Edo's Heroes it could be, seeing as any distinguishing features were hidden from sight, masked out by the shadows that blanketed them.

"Well, the company would be nice, maybe. Yours? We can debate whether your company is welcome." There was no edge to her voice, no bite. She much too tired to be any bit annoyed, but if she were being completely honest, she wasn't annoyed at all. She wasn't about to be completely honest with him at 3 in the morning though.

He stepped forward, back into the light of the moon.

"You let me in, didn't you?" The question was met with silence. "That's what I thought."

He made his way over and sat next to her. They didn't say a word for a few minutes, then he spoke up again. His voice was quiet and calm, a stark contrast to the turbulence she had been feeling for the past few days. 

"You wanna talk about it?" She wasn't sure how he knew she needed to talk about anything. Maybe it had been ridiculously obvious, she was always one to wear her heart on her sleeve. But maybe he was just good at reading people. It could be some combination of either, she supposed.

"Maybe not **_it_** specifically." She paused, looking at him. He was a bit of a puzzle, wasn't he? "Whatever _it_ is, I guess."

"So let's talk about anything else." Movement caught her eye, something in her peripherals. But it was gone as fast as it had been there. It was a wing or that's what she thought she had seen.

"And why would I talk about anything else with you of all people? We barely know each other and we met through a tournament, and you showed up here like no more than four days ago." 

"I suppose you're right."

Sitting up, she studied him. Something about seeing him up close like this felt strange, a sort of surreal type of strange. She caught the sight of what looked like a scar poking past his collar, disappearing along what she could only guess to be his shoulder. She shifted, now laying on her side, propped up on her elbow.

"But something tells me you aren't planning on leaving until you get at least one story out of me."

From this angle, she knew the look he had on. His trademark smirk and a sort of mischief in his eyes. A snicker sounded, though it came from neither of them. It echoed from elsewhere in the room. She looked up, past him and saw Wulf standing by the window.

 _'I've seen that look somewhere.'_   Wulf's voice was rough, much in the same way Ryko's was. It was deeper though, rumbling. It held more power. _'In fact, I think I've seen that same look in your eyes before, runt.'_

She half-heartedly glared in his general direction. 

"Hey, play a game with me," he muttered, surprising her. She hadn't realized how close he had gotten. Now, laying in bed next to her (don't worry, he had taken off his shoes upon entering the room), she could easily pick out the little details she hadn't noticed before. The way his eyes faded to grey as it got closer to the pupils, the way-

His voice interrupted her thoughts, the expression he wore was one of curiosity.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" The way she stammered through a half-assed answer was all he needed. He waved, almost dismissively. "Forget it, answer my first question."

"It was hardly a question." She deadpanned, rolling over onto her back. "But fine, whatever. Let's go, then."

"Alright, since it is just past 3 am now, let's keep it quiet and simple, yeah?" He didn't wait for her response. Not that he needed to, she would've agreed anyway. "We'll take turns asking each other anything, and the other has to answer as honestly as possible."

"And if you're caught lying?"

He shrugged, nonchalant. "Well, be a good liar then. What the other person doesn't know won't hurt them."

She laughed, silently agreeing before rolling over onto her side. "Fine, you start."

"Hm, how bout we start easy? Favourite colour?" They faced each other now, voices just above a whisper. Time felt like it slowed down, the feeling of being up this late held a certain kind of magic. The quiet that it held, especially when shared with another soul. It was surreal, the world outside this room could've stood still for all they cared. These fleeting moments in the night were theirs and theirs only.

"Blue." Her answer was immediate, as was her question. "If you could be anything other than human for a day, what would you be?"

He snorted at the question, thinking about it for a second. Saiya noted the way his eyes narrowed slightly, a slight pout while he was thinking. 

"Think I wouldn't mind being a dragon for a while." An amused feeling bubbled in her chest, ready to burst as a fit of giggles. 

"I'm glad you didn't say phoenix, I would've kicked you out immediately if you said that." This brought on laughter out of both of them, both trying hard to stifle it in fear of waking someone else up, and getting caught awake, in the same room together.

"Yeah, I figured I'd avoid that." There was something about tonight that subdued their usual annoyance and teasing in each other's presence. The mood was much lighter, in contrast with the darkness that blanketed them in the dead of night, with their only light source being the touch of the moon.

"Avoid that answer or avoid me kicking you out?" He sighed out a laugh, much quieter than earlier's fit of giggles.

"Both, perhaps?" Under the watchful moon, they caught each other's eyes again, none of the hostility and irritation from the day that came just before. "Alright, how'd you and Ryo meet?"

A quiet sigh escaped through her lips just before she bit down on her bottom lip, a tell that she was focused on trying to remember something from over a decade prior.

"I can hardly remember, it feels like we've known each other forever. Think it might have had something to do with grade school bullies. I can vaguely remember him stepping in, think he was trying to stand up for me. Don't think he needed to though, I kinda remember challenging them to a fight." She smiled, recalling these memories despite them being rather fuzzy. "I'm pretty sure they were at least twice my size."

"I wouldn't put it past you to challenge someone at least twice your size to a _fistfight_ now." He remarked, earning her smacking his arm. 

"I heard you and Judai dueled out on the beach just before our tournament, who won that?" He cocked an eyebrow at her, but his expression quickly went neutral again as he remembered just how close the two were. 

"He won, but only because I threw the duel. Much like you did ours, apparently." His tone was accusatory but only in teasing, the slight smile that accompanied was all she needed to confirm. "Biggest fear, go."

She had to think about that one. The list of things that scared her was short. In fact, it was about three items long. Spiders, wasps, and clowns. But neither felt like they were the right answer to this question. Her answer would come to be much more existential, perhaps. 

"Biggest fear, huh? Loneliness, I think. Isolation." She paused, before adding on to that thought "Or maybe losing someone I love. The thought of either scares me more than the other three things I have on my list."

The look he gave her was somewhere between confusion and understanding. There was something in his eyes, an emotion she could only catch glimpses of. But in the dark, she could not clearly identify what she could see reflecting back at her. A sense of understanding perhaps, one that ran deeper than she could ever realize. Maybe it was more than that, something she could only see in shattered pieces, in flashes.

They would go on like that for about 3 more hours, neither falling asleep until about 6 am. By the time they did, they had gone through at least a dozen questions, some more ridiculous than others. When they had decided to call it quits, they finally decided it was time to crash. He didn't even bother to leave her room, announcing that he was too exhausted to.

Perhaps Saiya was not the only one who needed some company that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter chapter, and a lil insight into the beginning of their late-night antics.


	5. CYBERDARKNESS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"You died screaming. Yet, the monster who took your place was silent"_   
>  _━ You are a weapon and weapons do not weep_

_Golden child, lion boy; tell me what it's like to **conquer**_

* * *

Perhaps staying up all night then waking up just past five pm was not the best idea they've ever had. But to say that either Saiya or Edo was good at making good decisions was a bit of a stretch. Their best decisions were made during a duel.

However, they were not dueling. Right now, they were staring in confusion as they walked out into the main courtyard. Saiya would not notice the sharp inhale from Edo, she was much too focused on the pounding headache she was nursing. When her attention finally focused back to her immediate surroundings, Edo seemed extremely frustrated (that was putting it lightly, she supposed) and the retreating figure confused her more than anything.

"Uh, who was that?" She asked, rubbing her temples, willing this headache to go away. It must have shown in her voice, the look he gave her had more concern than she ever thought he was capable of.

"He is-, er, was, I guess? My manager." He paused, there was a guarded look in his eyes now. "And my best friend."

The tone in his voice told her everything she needed to know. It felt more familiar than she knew. The words she wanted to say never came, they no longer felt right. So, they remained on her tongue, locked away and never to fall past her lips.

"Stop looking at me like that, it's fine."

'Ah, yes. There he is.' She thought to herself, smiling a little. The rest of their day consisted mostly of hanging around campus, seeing as they had slept through most of the day. The mood between the two of them was something a little quieter, pensive. For her, however, any sense of calm she may have had that day was going to be shattered very soon.

* * *

If you asked if there was anyone Saiya could say stressed her out, she'd be able to give you a list ranking just who stressed her out the most. Ryo would top the list at number one. Not even Judai or Edo could stress her out quite this much, an accomplishment she'd have to say.

When he finally got around to replying to her, it was to meet up with her. The first time they'll have seen each other in nearly three weeks. When they finally did meet up, there was something off. It wasn't outwardly obvious, and if it was, that wasn't what caught her attention first. He was much harder to read now, felt much more guarded. It was throwing her off. A lot.

"You didn't call me out here just to talk, did you?" Her words would be met with silence. It was a subtle gesture he had given her, which made her glad she was as observant as she was. There was no way she would've caught it otherwise. She followed him, as she always had. As she always would.

"Actually, I did."

He would not elaborate on that any further, and if he really had wanted to talk to her, he was sure doing a terrible job of doing the actual talking. This truly nailed in the fact no one else she knew stressed her out more than her childhood best friend. Not one person she knew.

"So, are you gonna tell me what you wanted to talk about or did you think I developed telepathy overnight? Because I can confirm right now, I do not, in fact, possess any sort of telepathic abilities." This didn't earn her any explanation, nor did it earn any obvious reaction. Needless to say, she was exhausted.

However, even though he was much harder to read now than he used to be, she could pick up the slightest bit of conflict in his eyes. It was gone as soon as she picked up on it.

"I need your help with something."

Of course, she readily agreed. This would be the last time he'd ask for her help for anything for a long time.

* * *

"Now, I don't know what the fuck you got yourself into and I honestly hope you don't intend on dragging me into whatever mess you got involved in." She had told him. Ryo hadn't said a word on what he had been up to, never hinted at anything regarding why he ignored all of her messages that week. It was just one of those things, she supposed. A kind of intuition you develop when you're as close as they are.

Whatever it was he got himself into, he wasn't telling her because they both knew she wouldn't hesitate to yell at him, and then proceed to be the one to ignore him for almost three weeks. At least, that's what she told herself. Whether that was actually the truth was beyond her. Surely, he knew better than to get himself into more trouble than he can handle, right?

Right?

They had made a few stops, some of which were seriously sketchy. On her own, these were likely the last places she'd willingly show up to. The entire time, he never told her what he needed her help with. For all she knew, she was there for moral support more than anything. It wasn't until it was closer to midnight that she would finally get her answers.

Their last stop took them down a back alley, which in itself was super suspicious-looking, down a set of stairs. They stopped in front of a door.

Then it all clicked into place.

"Ryo, you didn't-"

The look he gave her was more than enough to answer that. She groaned, half in disappointment, half in exasperation.

"Marufuji Ryo, not even Judai stresses me out half as much as you do." He seemingly ignored this as he went to open the door. The light from inside flooded out, as did the ambient noise of the crowd within. It was as wild and chaotic as she imagined it would be.

They exchanged glances. She knew what he was asking of her. A duel.

This could be a bad idea.

She was never good at making wise decisions.

* * *

"I cannot believe you."

"You agreed, didn't you?"

She stared at him, mouth agape. Shaking her head, she muttered something about how Edo and Ryo were more alike than they realized. It was funny, how she ended up having to deal with these two.

The duel had ended in a draw. Saiya had made a point not to use her Lightsworns, though the only other deck she had was a hastily thrown together deck that relied heavily on burn effects. Surprisingly, it hadn't cost her the duel entirely.

"So, are you gonna tell me why you haven't been responding to my messages for almost a month or am I going to have to make up some wild story in my head?" No response. Any ridiculous story she could come up with wasn't anywhere close to the shock (emotional and physical) she had gotten that night. Knowing full well he wasn't going to give her any answers, she stopped pressing. If he didn't want to tell her, he wasn't going to tell her, and she wasn't going to waste her energy trying to pry it out of him.

He was ridiculously stubborn when he wanted to be.

After they parted ways, with very little words exchanged between the two of them, she was left with an empty feeling. Watching him walk away, it was obvious something between them had shifted, it had changed.

After everything that night, she was left with the feeling that perhaps they were no longer just revolving around each other.

It's funny the way things work, isn't it?

* * *

_Fearless child, broken boy; tell me what it's like to **burn**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I,,,cannot for the life of me remember what exactly went down. So I am seriously just winging a lot of the plot now. We can probably expect a lot of divergence from canon from here on out.
> 
> Mostly because I wanted to explore what went on behind the scenes w Ryo descending to Hell Kaiser. Plus I wanted to like,,,,,,figure out Saiya's whole situation in season 2 cuz she wasn't actually there for the whole Society of Light thing. Amazing how that worked out, huh.


End file.
